


Love Stronger Than Bloodlust

by talkingtothesky



Category: Original Work
Genre: Established Relationship, F/F, Fluff, Modern Era, University, Vampires
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-06
Updated: 2017-10-06
Packaged: 2019-01-09 17:39:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,153
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12281295
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/talkingtothesky/pseuds/talkingtothesky
Summary: Eve goes to a Halloween party which ends badly for her. Luckily, her girlfriend isn't fazed when she returns home undead.





	Love Stronger Than Bloodlust

**Author's Note:**

  * For [merryghoul](https://archiveofourown.org/users/merryghoul/gifts).



The plastic gauntlets for Eve's Wonder Woman costume had turned out to be a little too tight on her forearms. Some clumsy dickhead had spilled his drink on her wig, so that it stuck together in clumps, itchy and uncomfortable against her neck. The party wasn't all it had cracked up to be. She would probably have been better off, had she stayed home with Clara. Except Becky would have thrown a tantrum if Eve hadn't shown up tonight, after she promised.

 

It was 3am, and people were starting to leave. Eve dialled for a taxi, waited ten minutes, then said her goodbyes to Becky and the others. She went outside into the chilly night air, shrugging on her long white coat to keep her bare shoulders warm.

 

"You look pissed off," said an amused voice. Another of Becky's mates was leaning against the garden wall, dressed in a steampunk outfit. Her long skinny legs were encased in sheer tights. She didn't appear to be shivering. Eve recognised her from lectures, but couldn't remember her name.

 

Eve mustered a fake smile. "I'm just tired. Are you waiting for a lift too?"

 

The girl nodded. Her big round hat with goggles taped to the brim slid forward over her eyes. She pushed it back up again with a growl. That made Eve smile for real. She parked her bum against the wall next to the girl, who added: "Called forty minutes ago. Hasn't showed."

 

"Which taxi company?" Eve wanted to know so she could avoid them in future.

 

Steampunk reached under one of her many belts into a pocket, drew out a business card and handed it to her. Eve read it. Fortunately it wasn't for the same firm she'd used. On a whim, she flipped it over between her fingers, fiddling with it. On the back was a different, handwritten number.

 

"Mine," Steampunk said, when Eve looked up into her eyes. She tipped her head to the side with a coy smirk, this time managing not to dislodge the hat. There was a long moment where Eve couldn't look away, but eventually managed it.

 

Eve blinked rapidly and coughed. Cold air rushed down her throat, chilling her lungs. "Um. I have a girlfriend."

 

Steampunk refused to take back the card, crossing her arms over her chest. "Okay."

 

Eve was about to insist, maybe try to tuck it down the front of that ridiculous corset, when a car pulled up. Recognizing the logo on the side, Eve shoved the card into her own coat pocket irritably. "Night, then." She moved towards the taxi, relieved to get away from the awkward conversation.

 

Only, Steampunk followed her in. Made her shove over into the furthest seat and slammed the door behind them. Taking off her hat, she told Eve: "We can share, can't we? I've been waiting." Then she raised her voice to the driver. "Uppermill, please." The car drove off immediately.

 

Freaked out by now, Eve protested. "Wait, that's in the opposite direction to mine." In truth she didn't have a clue where it was.

 

The driver replied, in a tone that was the opposite of reassuring: "Just sit tight. We'll sort you out."

 

Eve glimpsed her own reflection in the rear-view mirror, but there was nobody beside her.

 

The thing in the back seat next to Eve leaned over, lifted the wig away from her throat and sank sharp fangs in.

 

\---

 

Clara paced back and forth in front of the fireplace. It had been three days since she had last seen Eve. There were two police officers on the settee. Her mother had come over and was in the kitchen, making them drinks.

 

"She hasn't disappeared like this before, for any reason?"

 

"Never." Clara twirled the end of her blonde ponytail around her fingers, faster and faster.

 

"Ms Wellington, can you think of anyone who might want to harm your girlfriend?"

 

The dreaded question. Clara stopped pacing. "No, she doesn't have...enemies. Lots of friends. She's very popular. Well, more so than me, anyway."

 

Clara was in her second year, studying Computer Science. She had practical lab exams throughout her course, which required thorough preparation in advance. She had been studying hard for them, even on Halloween. Perhaps if she'd gone out with Eve that night...Her exams had consumed nearly all of her time and attention over the past two days. It was only now she was beginning to face the reality. Eve was missing, and might not be coming back.

 

"As you're already aware, Rebecca Sumner told us Eve left her house sometime between two and four on Tuesday morning, alone. Is there anywhere you know of she might have gone to eat, or walk, before heading home?"

 

Clara shook her head. "She wouldn't have walked. Those boots were..." She didn't want to say 'slutty' in front of the cops. "She would have got a taxi." 

 

Clara's mum came in, carrying a tray. She put it down on the coffee table. The detectives thanked her and reached for the mugs.

 

Mrs Wellington straightened up and screamed. The hot drinks went everywhere.

 

Clara followed her mother's gaze, out of the front window, at the street.

 

It was Eve.

 

Clara tore open the front door and ran to her, regardless of her slippers. Eve was standing in the middle of the pavement, gazing into their living room. She had different clothes on than Clara had ever seen her wear. A long flowing skirt, leather jacket, lilac neckerchief. Clara flung her arms around Eve and held her tight.

 

"Where have you been?" Chin tucked tight against her shoulder. The leather creaked.

 

Eve's hands patted her back loosely, but she was angling her body away. "Clara, don't hug me."

 

Clara loosened her grip at once and took a step back, looking her over. "Are you hurt?"

 

"I'm okay. Just don't hug me."

 

Tears sprung to Clara's eyes. "I thought you were dead."

 

Eve snorted. An ugly, bitter sound. "I am."

 

Clara just stared. Did that mean...what she thought it meant?

 

Eve spoke with some urgency. "Look, can we go inside? Get rid of your mum and the cops and then I'll explain everything." There was a haze around her, like a mirage in a desert. Clara understood instinctively that Eve was holding it together, while suffering.

 

"Sure." She led the way back towards the house.

 

Eve paused just inside the porch, as though she had just thought of something.

 

"Come on." Clara frowned, put both hands on Eve's shoulders and steered her over the front step, into the house, ahead of her.

 

"Found her!" she announced, unnecessarily.

 

The police officers and her mother were still mopping up the drink spills. They looked up as the girls entered.

 

Eve spoke to the cops. "You here for me?"

 

"Eve Blakemore? We'll need a statement from you."

 

"Would it be okay if I came down to the station later to do that? I'm really tired, I'd like to talk to my family." The detectives glanced at each other. Clara's mother was still pushing paper towels into their hands, trying to apologize for the coffee stains all over their clothing.

 

Mrs Wellington moved to give Eve a hug too, but Eve sidestepped, moving out of her reach. So instead she patted Eve on the arm. "I'm glad you're okay, sweetheart."

 

Eve went to stand in a corner of the room, furthest away from the window.

 

Clara smiled uneasily and gave her mum the squishy, relieved hug they both needed. When she pulled back, she asked, "Could you give us an hour or two?"

 

Her mum glanced at Eve. "Of course. I'll go back and tell your father the good news."

 

There was a general exchange of polite words, until finally it was just the two of them.

 

Clara locked the front door. "Right, they're gone. What happened to you?"

 

Eve looked drained and shaky. "I shouldn't be here. I need to get out of the sun."

 

They relocated to their bedroom, where the thick curtains were already closed. Clara had forgotten to open them this morning, in her distracted state, with finally deciding to call the police and everything.

 

Eve dropped down on the end of the bed. "You trust me, don't you?"

 

Clara nodded. She was beginning to understand. She wasn't afraid.

 

Eve took off her lilac scarf. She showed Clara the puncture wounds on her neck. Two red scabs on otherwise flawless brown skin.

 

"Vampires are real, babe. All those daft rumours you read online? They're true. They made me one of them."

 

\---

 

"They warned me not to come home, not to seek out friends and family. I'm putting you in danger just by being here."

 

This whole thing was incredibly surreal. Eve wasn't completely sure she'd made the right decision, by disobeying. But she had proved she could control herself. She'd made it all the way here without biting anyone or bursting into flames. And she wasn't going to begin the rest of eternity by abandoning Clara. Even if they had to split up, a few days or weeks from now. She at least deserved an explanation. Some closure for their life together.

 

Clara was taking it very well. She'd always been a conspiracy nut. Perhaps that enabled her to be a lot calmer than Eve had been. She'd raged so fiercely at the abrupt ending of her life that she'd destroyed all the antique furniture in Amelia's cottage. Amelia - that had turned out to be Steampunk's name. She looked twenty-one but she was two-hundred-and-one.

 

All Clara said was: "That's why you didn't want me to hug you."

 

"I can hear your blood, Clara." Eve closed her eyes. She didn't need to focus on the sound. It was like a ticking clock at the front of her brain. A blaring alarm. Giant waves, crashing against the rocks. Clara's beating heart, and Eve's dead one, silent and decaying in her chest.

 

She felt Clara kneel down in front of her, resting her arms on Eve's knees. "Then we'll get you some earplugs," she said, affectionately. She nudged her lips at Eve's forehead and whispered: "I'm not afraid of you. I can live with this. Nothing has to change."

 

Eve clasped their hands. Clara's skin was so warm against her palms. Blissful acceptance. But there was so much that could go wrong. "I'll have to... feed eventually." She hated the ugly word in her mouth.

 

"Do you need it right now?"

 

"No. They gave me some after I..." She hesitated to say 'crawled out of the grave'. "After I came back. Enough to keep me going for a week, they said."

 

"Okay, that's good. That gives us some time. When you need more blood, you can have mine."

 

Eve's eyes snapped open. "Clara, no."

 

Infinitely gentle, Clara stroked Eve's cheek with the back of her fingers. "I'm a donor, remember? If I'm willing to help total strangers, I definitely want to help the one I love." The words produced a flush of phantom warmth, hope, pride. Eve may be dead but she still felt her love for Clara with everything she had.

 

Eve worried at her lip. "I don't want to bite you. What if I can't stop?"

 

Clara was evidently thinking fast. "You won't need to. I'll just prick myself, let it drip into a cup. You won't have any more than I can safely give. How much did they give you, for this week's supply?" 

 

"It was one of those... hospital saline bags? I don't know the exact volume." Eve remembered the heavy feel of blood on her tongue. It had a disgusting taste. But she had been ravenous.

 

"That's okay, we'll find out. I'm not losing you. Hey, have you thought about how much money we're going to save on coffee, now that you don't need to drink gallons of the stuff?"

 

The unexpected, irresistible levity made Eve smile. Clara beamed back. She leaned into a kiss, lightly. Clara's neck was right there and the waves were rolling, but Eve's fangs did not force themselves out. She could adapt to this. She hadn't lost everything.

 

"You must be tired," Clara reminded her. "Why don't you get some rest? I'll call Mum, come up with a cover story." She stood up, but Eve caught at her wrist. Her new, faster reflexes were still surprising her. She rubbed the back of Clara's hand with her thumb to soothe any fright, then let go.

 

"Not yet? Stay with me," she pleaded softly. Eve slid out of her borrowed boots and shifted up the bed, lying down on her side.

 

Clara agreed, readily hopping onto the bed and fitting herself to Eve's back. She brought the duvet up over them both and draped her arm around Eve's waist.

 

There was no way it could be this easy. But whatever happened next, Eve was confident they'd figure everything out, together.


End file.
